Warmer Sunday, Chance Storms Tuesday.

Although it has been rather breezy around here this afternoon, notice the map on the right which shows how strong the winds have been across the state courtesy of the OK Mesonet. That south wind has really been howling in the more western counties and particularly in the Panhandle. Although the winds will diminish somewhat overnight, they will still be rather brisk at 10-15 mph or more which will help keep temperatures a little milder than the freezing conditions we had this morning.

However, the air is still very dry with dew point temperatures only in the teens and low 20s. Together with clear overnight skies, that will still allow temperatures to drop into the upper 30s or low 40s by early Sunday morning and with a brisk southerly wind it will feel colder. A weak front will be moving into the state during the day Sunday and the weaker pressure gradient associated with this system should allow the winds to diminish somewhat during the afternoon and evening hours. Also, moisture will be slow to return so we should have lots of sunshine for much of the day Sunday. Bottom line is that Sunday is looking pretty nice with afternoon highs well into the 60s which is much above normal.

Monday will see some variation in the winds with that weak frontal boundary stalling out just south of Hwy 412. NE winds will prevail behind the boundary and SE winds ahead of it, but the boundary is expected to be washing out later in the day allowing for a more E to SE wind for most locations by days end. We will also have mostly cloudy skies pretty much all day along with a slight chance of rain or showers during the day and a better chance that night. Look for daytime highs to be well into the 60s again.

Tuesday will have our best chance of showers or storms along with the potential for a few severe storms. Right now, it appears that the parameters will favor the extreme eastern counties as the best location for rain and for any severe storms, but that can change in a hurry. At any rate, gusty southerly winds, mostly cloudy skies, temperatures starting off in the lower 50s and rising into the upper 60s along with a 50% chance of rain or storms will create a rather unsettled day.

That will be followed by fair skies for Wed and Thu and although we will cool off some we will still be warmer than normal for this time of year. Another front should be arriving by early Friday but it is expected to have very limited moisture to work with so will maintain only a slight chance of a shower or storm with that system. As a result the coming weekend looks to be between systems with a return to southerly winds and continued above normal temperatures. In fact, temperatures so far this month are running nearly 2 degrees above normal and above normal temperatures look to be the general rule for the coming week as well.

As always, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot